CD Reviews

If this doesn't win some awards...

D. Blair | 11/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...then I don't know what will. So let me be the first to declare - "A Voice in Time" should win on several accounts.

First, the packaging...it's exquisite. Among the very, very best I've ever seen - and never have I seen it in this price range. A+++. The dark and silver pin striping is very classy and beautiful...wonderfully understated and it sets a tone of elegance and class. Inside the two books are beautiful - one housing the four disks the other the reading material...perfect. Functional. Again...very, very classy, and very, very well made. No dated, plastic jewel cases or digipaks that fall apart - no, none of that, it's just delicious. Both are extremely hefty, and well-made, and knock-out, flat-out gorgeous. The silver and black motif is luxuriously carried through to these two pieces...very befitting of the old B&W feel of the music - very stylish and hints of the old deco design styles of the 1920s/30s/40s, but not "ultra-retro-y"...not at all. Just class. The printing and production of these books is well beyond the price range, filled with beautifully done photographs, high quality paper and prints...and wonderful materials to look at and read and enjoy. Amazing...and absolutely Grammy worthy.

Second, the music....or I should say "program." I have to tell you, I have some early Sinatra and I love it, but I really wasn't interested in a four CD retrospective. Maybe a "Complete...yada, whatever" (after all aren't we all collectors now?) So I didn't think a set like this would be of any great interest to me or to "collectors." Sure...there's something to be said for owning EVERYTHING - alternates and all - but forget about everything. There's still something to be said for a story...a set designed to be a wonderful consistent listen. It's still about enjoying music, right?

A stunning and brilliant and magical program of listening is what this is. Wonderfully laid out and presented. Perfectly chosen material that frames the music, the time, and the voice. It is refreshingly not limited to the "Complete, something-something sessions" or the recordings made with the "something orchestra." That fact allowed them to create nothing less than a perfect album, a perfect program of music - just the way Sinatra liked to do it. That's what blew me away (after the packaging of course) - this is such a remarkably well thought out set. It covers the best music that introduced the world to the Voice - and it's free to explore how and why it all happened. And that's the impact you feel. It ultimately creates a giant, amazing concept album, where the concept is how early Frank Sinatra landed on Earth and reinvented singing and threw pop music into high art. It presents the most authentic and POWERFUL portrayal of early Sinatra I've ever heard.

Yes...the material is all aces, too. There's nothing to mull through. It's a knock-out, free-flowing mega-album. Somehow it manages to create a very living and deeply moving personal message, like all of Sinatra's best concept albums. As if he knew one day these recordings would be assembled here, at this time, and in this fashion...it does make you wonder. It deserves whatever awards they got.

Third, the sound...it is nothing short of miraculous. The restoration is absolutely stunning. You will be speechless listening to it, I promise. It's not just icing on the cake either -- it goes much deeper than that. It manages to cohesively revive everything, by putting a brilliant, magical light on it all. You feel it, you damn-near see it. Every detail shimmers. You are movingly reminded that he was the greatest singer of all time who happened to be in possession of the greatest vocal instrument of all time. A living Stradivarius. The sound quality really lets you hear and appreciate that. How he holds and fades a perfect, velvety note into the sky is right there to fully appreciate - there's no mistaking his brilliance. Honestly, these pieces just don't "sound good" they sound utterly amazing.

Well, lastly there's the subject matter. You get the sense that it really gets its due here. What better subject matter could you have? The greatest singer of all time, captured as he was changing the world, just as it all happened. Given the brilliant programming of the material and its sonic restoration - it's happening all over again.

Not just another box set covering the familiar. Nor is it a "complete-anything" to feed our "I want it all" appetite. This set is a revelation to be cherished - on all accounts; sound quality, subject matter, programming, and packaging. And I believe it is very capable of winning awards on all those accounts mentioned. It's that good. And together, the sum of all those accounts, adds up to be one of the best sets I've ever owned. Fittingly it was released to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his passing. Fitting indeed...it's a very special program."

EARLY PRISTINE SINATRA

FAS1 | Villa Rica, GA | 10/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the early Sinatra without the seasoned voice. Enjoy the tenderness and innocence of this incredible baritone voice at the beginning of his career. Included in this collection are many previously unreleased radio airchecks and some previously unreleased alternate takes. Beautifully packaged, with a 116-page book that includes a forward written by Nancy Sinatra, Jr., and some very interesting rare photos of Frank. If you're a serious Sinatra fan, by all means, buy this beautiful set. It will give you a greater appreciation for Sinatra's early career before the marvelous Capitol and Reprise years. Sinatra was, is, and always will be "The Chairman Of The Board!!""

Young Sinatra at his Vocal Best

Owen | Ohio | 10/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A Voice in Time, represents Sinatra at his vocal best. The song selections are great. Also there are many rare radio airchecks, which make the collection worth while. Sinatra's early work is often overshadowed by his Capitol and Reprise recordings.The Sound quality on "A Voice in Time", is far Superior to the mega Complete Columbia Recordings from 1993. It's amazing how much the technology, has advanced in just 14 years. In my opinion this set is worth every penny. Enjoy Sinatra at the very begining of his career."

Essential early music by "The Voice" but not comprehensive.

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 01/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Much of Sinatra's fan base these days consists of the boomers who are drawn to his late "Chairman of the Board" period, quite unaware of the sheer artistry and consummate musicianship of the man who preceded the swaggering persona of the "Rat Pack." But Sinatra was a classy hat trick, a spectacular three-act Shakespearean drama, each act composed of three scenes: First, there's the Columbia, Capitol, and Reprise Sinatras; next, there's the swinger, the torch singer, and the surprisingly "legit" descendent of Caruso who projected Hammerstein ("Ole Man River," "I Have Dreamed") into orbit; finally, there's the matinee idol who introduced "bobby soxer" and "swoon" into the American vernacular, followed by the reactionary who rescued the Great American Songbook, followed by the commanding Chairman with blue eyes capable of reaching higher than Michael Jordan into the uppermost rows of the same Chicago Stadium where both stars played.

The present set nicely represents the smooth-voiced, "legato" Sinatra, who could remind you of Caruso and who was renowned as a singer ("The Voice") who "never seemed to take a breath." Moreover, it's the period when a collector can't go wrong bypassing the original albums in favor of a "collection," since the 78-rpm format ruled out anything resembling the "concept albums" of the Capitol period and later.

At the same time, some of Sinatra's most personally ambitious material is missing from this collection--virtually "operatic" performances such as "If You Are But a Dream" and "Where Is My Bess" from the Gershwins' "Porgy and Bess." As either an alternative or supplement to this collection (and at a nice price) consider picking up: "Sinatra: The V-Discs" (a 2-disc overlooked but revelatory collection) and "Portrait of Sinatra" (a 2-disc collection covering his Columbia hits, admittedly duplicative of material on this "Voice in Time" package). Those two collections, while lacking some of the "visual smartness" of this latest repackaging, are, in my opinion, both a greater value and a fuller representation of this important period in the career of the "Entertainer of the Century.""

Early Sinatra

Charles esposito | USA | 11/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A grand collection of early Sinatra favorites which continue to be the Standard even today. His rich melodious voice brings full life to every song as if they were written with just him in mind to interpert the beautiful sentiment and richness with every number..A keepsake for they way they used to write this wonderful tunes.."